Why I Stopped Blogging... and Why I Came Back

Hey, all! 

A few days ago I promised to write a post about why I stopped blogging for several months. It is a little bit of a long story but it made me learn a lot about how the internet works. I might not be explaining it 100% correctly in the technical bits, but I promise to do my best. 

September/October got incredibly busy for me. I had a very difficult time finding the time to read at all, and with my uni coming in the way again, finding the time to post anything at all became a huge challenge. However I never forced myself to post just to 'keep up with views' and whatever - that's a mindset I do everything I can to avoid. 

However, after about a month of inactivity, I opened up my stats page to have a look - I had a consistent amount of views daily, but when I had a look at the traffic source, all of the links brought me to third-party websites, including adult sites, gambling and some weird lawyer firm that felt sketchy in every way that mattered. 


As far as I understood, when you get too few views, you get traffic through third party websites. However, nobody actually sees the blog - you get given fake views in order to keep traffic existent. In return, third party websites that pay to give you fake views are seen in your traffic source, generating, you know it! Clicks! 

This absolutely disgusted me. Not only were the 'views' I was getting fake, but these websites were suddenly linked to a project I had been working on for years. I'm someone who has to be held back from sending rants back at those 'pay for views' companies to 'grow your website'. I find that idea to be such a shame - if you have a good site, account or any other form of media, you will get appreciation. That's how it works. Now I certainly do not have any huge accounts or big followers, but that's not what I'm aiming for anyway. I just really enjoy writing and posting photos and reviews - exchanging opinions about books is something I truly enjoy. 

It took a lot for me to put my blog on private. I could not bring myself to delete it for the life of me, but at least on private I could keep it whilst it being inaccessible to such a system. 

The 'break' was nice - I could read without feeling the need to review rereads (which I find redundant), books I didn't enjoy (which I find tedious) and I could focus on other things. 

However, I recently read Shielded (make sure to look out for my review!) and truly wanted to write a review about this ARC. I've also recently had a study change - I am shifting from pure physical chemistry and astronomy, to general chemistry and journalism. I have thus been writing a lot more, which gave me a newfound energy to actually, well, write! I figured it was as good a time as any to open up my blog again to blog whenever I'd like. 

I've really been enjoying writing again! I know I'm not 100% consistent, but I will do my best. 

Stay bookish, 

 

Reading Habits: Before and After Social Media

Hey, all! 

Yesterday I arrived back in the family house from uni for a short week. It is Carnival in the Netherlands and that can get overwhelming for a small introvert with crowd anxiety such as myself. Usually, the first thing I do when I come back to France (after eating way too much bread and butter) is look at my shelves and decide what I want to read next.

That's when I started craving re-reading my Middle Grade favorites. I picked up a book that means a ton to me -  Stravaganza: City of Masks, by Mary Hoffman - and realized: I have never heard other people on blogs or Instagram talk about these books. Reviews for it on Goodreads are generally pretty decent. So, after I sent an email to the author, I got to thinking. 

As much as I have always loved reading, I started noticing a trend in my reading patterns since I started reviewing books and being a part of 'the book community'. So today, I wanted to take half an hour or so to go over what I noticed changed. 

1. Book Selection 

Before
I remember spending countless lunchtimes in the school library, looking for new titles and reading the blurb of every book I could get my hands on, before carefully selecting 4 books I had to bring back in a month's time. Some books simply didn't stick with me, while others brought a bookish love upon me that still sticks around. I _still_ squeal like an 11 year old when Rick Riordan says he will publish a new book soon! I also remember scrolling through the teen's books on amazon, looking for something that sounded promising. Mom ordered so many random books for me that, sure, were either hit or miss, but I made the decisions myself. 


After
Since involving myself in the book community, I have been introduced to some fantastical word, known as hype. Certain books were talked about by EVERYONE, while some books I knew and loved seemed to hardly be mentioned anywhere at all. I've realized that I no longer reach out to books I have not seen anyone mention, but rather end up buying the books that have been mentioned everywhere - there is a hype for a reason, right? This has certainly lead me to some amazing books, that I most likely would not have discovered otherwise. 

2. My pickiness about books 

Before
A book is a story written on pages bound between two covers. I don't care if my spine is broken in or if I dog ear pages or if the entire series is made up of different covers. I want the story and I want it now. 

After
Uuuugh I kind of wish I paid more attention to having similar covers... And I kinda wish I didn't dog ear some of my all time favorites... And the broken spines annoy me... But I won't replace my old copies for the world 

3. Series

Before
I used to be a series junkie - I would usually find the first 2-3 books in my school's library, and the time of year when the next book would come out was more exciting than Christmas. Some stand-alones were fine, but there was a certain thrill to series! 

After  
Gimme the stand alones. I do have some favorite series, but for some reason it has become incredibly difficult to find YA stand alones that aren't contemporary. I live for a good high fantasy but most of those come in HUGE series! And while I enjoy a good trilogy, I get emotionally attached to books strongly enough to just lose patience when waiting a year for a next book to come out, oops! 

But that's why you gotta learn to wait out the series's publication, then 1, 2, 3 BINGE!

4. Caring about Opinions

Before
I used to not really care if people liked the same books I did or not, or if I liked books recommended to me.  I would read and absorb a story, weather I liked it or not was simply a personal choice. 

After
Now, it is easy to _say_ I don't care, but it is difficult to enact. Seeing someone with influence tear apart at a book I loved on goodreads just because they can always breaks my heart a little, and I am always a little afraid to admit that I didn't like a very hyped book. 

However, this also works the other way around! I cannot express how happy it makes me to see a message from someone - stranger or friend - saying that they saw me recommend a book and that they loved it as well. I also love the feeling of reading a super-hyped book after a while, and completely understanding why it was so loved! 

All in all, I don't think that before or after was better for me, reading-wise. They both have their value, and have both built me to the kind of reader I am today. However, I will be trying to implement some of my past reader philosophies into my current reading and blogging habits! I'm definitely going to be exploring the books I don't see being mentioned as much once again! 

I would love to hear your opinions on the subject! 

Stay Bookish! 

 
 

ARC Review - Shielded, by KayLynn Flanders

Hey, all!

Before I get into the spoiler-free review of a book I absolutely adored, I feel like I owe you all an explanation. 

My blog has been on 'private' since October. I shut it down without warning, and more than one person asked me where it went and why I deleted it. To be honest, it is a long story. Later this week I will make sure to dedicate a post about why I closed my blog. 

But for now, I'm back! I am super happy to be back behind the keyboard, finally able to talk about new book discoveries! 

Today I come to you with a review of an ARC! I am talking about Shielded, by Kaylynn Flanders. Before you continue, click on the link and add this book to your TBR. It's that good. And don't worry, this review will, naturally, be spoiler free!

Note: This book was given to me by Delacorte Press via Netgalley. This does not, in any way, influence my thoughts and opinions. 

This cover is simply too beautiful for words!

"The kingdom of Hálendi is in trouble. It's losing the war at its borders, and rumors of a new, deadlier threat on the horizon have surfaced. Princess Jennesara knows her skills on the battlefield would make her an asset and wants to help, but her father has other plans.

As the second-born heir to the throne, Jenna lacks the firstborn's--her brother's--magical abilities, so the king promises her hand in marriage to the prince of neighboring Turia in exchange for resources Hálendi needs. Jenna must leave behind everything she has ever known if she is to give her people a chance at peace.

Only, on the journey to reach her betrothed and new home, the royal caravan is ambushed, and Jenna realizes the rumors were wrong--the new threat is worse than anyone imagined. Now Jenna must decide if revealing a dangerous secret is worth the cost before it's too late--for her and for her entire kingdom."

Shielded is so much more than I was expecting. With every sentence you can feel the world and characters being built, with every plot twist you realize how insanely detailed Flanders's idea for this series is. There are so many twists and turns and unexpected moments that the book was very difficult to put down, and even harder to stop thinking about. 

My exact face when *REDACTED* happened only about 20% in.

For those who have followed my blog for a while you know that nothing makes me happier than a good character-driven novel. I become even giddier when the plot matches the characters in intensity. Shielded absolutely delivered in these aspects. Every single character, main, side and backstage alike, were thoroughly fleshed out and had personalities that stood out. Jenna - our main character - wasn't flawless, Enzo - the prince - was absolutely adorable (imagine if Will and Jem had a lovechild who was very protective, but also dorky and smart and smells like apples and books... *sigh*...). I absolutely adored Ren, Chiara, Mari and Luc. (Mari MVP, just saying!). They were each so unique I could hear their voices in my head as I read. 

And the plot! I cannot say much about it, but I adored how descriptive Flanders was about the Wild, the feeling left after being hurt, and even simple things like the way the sun felt on people's skin. The plot itself feels as insane as something that could be played out in a fantastic campaign of D&D. The magic system is so alive, and evil of the antagonists is just dripping from the pages. 

I have to stop here, lest I go fully into spoilers because THINGS HAPPENED, OKAY!? I'm giving this book 5/5 stars, and I simply need book 2. Right now. Even if it's just an outline of it, or an idea that Flanders came up with and quickly wrote on the back of a shopping receipt. I want more from this world and its three kingdoms! 

Stay bookish! 

 
 

YALFU 2019 - A fantastic event

Hey, all! 

It's been a little while, but as I said in one of my later posts, uni has been obscenely busy. I haven't finished a book in almost a month! 

However, I did spend yesterday at an absolutely fantastic event - YALFU! This is the Young Adult day of the International's Literature Festival of Utrecht, a large event that happens every year in The Netherlands. This year, amongst small Dutch authors, the event hosted V.E. Schwab, the author of the Shades of Magic trilogy, Vicious and Vengeful, as well as a whole collection of other fantastic books! She is an author who I had been wanting to meet for a long time - I love the Shades of Magic trilogy, and this put her in my top 5 authors to meet someday! 

I was not disappointed. The event ended up being a lot more organised than last year, and I went there with a group of friend who I met at the event last year. We all had a fantastic day fangirling and seeing people we had not spoken to in some time! 

The day started off the day before. Some friends and I met up together in Amsterdam, where we played a personalised game of Cards Against Humanity. Combinations were fantastic, and we ad a great time playing and just catching up from the last time we met up earlier this year. 

The next morning, we all took the train to Utrecht! The venue was fantastic - a large theatre-like building that makes for the perfect convention centre. We started off by exploring the various bookish shops that had set up a stand in the centre - most of them I knew well! I did end up buying two small candles, though! One is specifically made for the Shades of Magic series - made by RomeMadeCandles! 

We then saw a talk with 3 dutch authors. I mostly didn't pay attention because, well, my Dutch isn't perfect. But the Italian author was super sweet and had a fantastic way of looking at writing and life in general, making him really interesting to listen to! 

After the break, it was time for Schwab's interview! We all loved it - she said things that resonated with us, each for different reasons. She said that there was some sort of prophecy when she was born that said she would become an author or a cult leader - she totally is a cult leader who got us all in on it with words! 

After the talk (that let us all feeling wholesome, somehow), we hung out until it was our turn to get our books signed. Despite staying in line for close to 2 hours, the bunch of us had a lot of fun talking about everything and nothing. The signing session was absolutely lovely - I was wearing a shirt depicting words from her books and had stylised my nails, which she seemed to really like! All of us had a lovely talk with her, and we all left super happy! 

We did get a goodie bag as well, that I decided to donate to a local book drop point. This goes to a local open library that anyone can access. Since I don't read Dutch I believe that this was the right choice :) 

If you ever are hesitating about wether or not to go to events, always take the step to do so. Not only can you make super fun friendships, but you get to experience great days and hear some truly motivational comments that makes it all worth it. 

Stay bookish! 

Finale, by Stephanie Garber

Hey, all! 

I'm back at uni! Although I've been out-of-my-mind busy, I've been finding the time to read (and to play Dungeons and Dragons!) to make sure I stay, well, sane. I'm two days into my classes and already have a whole list of things to do! 

However, I did finish a book recently and have some things to say about it. On Sunday I finished Finale, by Stephanie Garber! I absolutely adored the first two books, however the third instalment of the Caraval trilogy left me somewhat disappointed. In this review I shall do my best to try to figure out what happened, and to explain my thoughts. 

Note: everyone is entitled to their own thoughts. I do realise that this is one of the most popular books of this year, with super high ratings on Goodreads! This review will also contain SPOILERS so read to your own discretion!

 "A love worth fighting for. A dream worth dying for. An ending worth waiting for.

It’s been two months since the Fates were freed from a deck of cards, two months since Legend claimed the throne for his own, and two months since Tella discovered the boy she fell in love with doesn’t really exist.

With lives, empires, and hearts hanging in the balance, Tella must decide if she’s going to trust Legend or a former enemy. After uncovering a secret that upends her life, Scarlett will need to do the impossible. And Legend has a choice to make that will forever change and define him.

Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun. There are no spectators this time—only those who will win, and those who will lose everything."

Finale ends just a little time after Legendary ends, and alternates between Scarlett's and Tella's points of view. Unlike the first two books, there is no Caraval during the timespan of the book. Instead, the coronation of Legend attracts visitors from far and wide. In the meantime, Scarlett is debating wether to give a chance to Julian or the man she used to correspond with, Tella is in the middle of a triangle between Legend and Jacks, and the Fates have been released and are slowly re-gaining their magic, causing some chaos everywhere. 

Now, this book is definitely not bad. Stephanie has a way of writing that can enchant event those with a lower sense of imagination. However, I was disappointed with the plot of Finale, having read and adored Caraval and Legendary. 

Let's rip off the band-aid and do this good-bad-ugly style! 

The Good

As mentioned, Stephanie really knows how to build a beautifully magical world. Not only were her descriptions amazing, but the mythology she has created in her books, namely the Fates, was incredible. I couldn't get enough of reading about the Fates, their abilities and their actions. 

Jacks, being one of these Fates, is honestly the single most intriguing character in this series. I adore him and his twisted mind, and believe that he deserved better in the end! His love for Tella just shook me to my core when he took her pain away and allowed himself to feel it. He could be a butt sometimes, sure, but still intrigued me from the first page. 

I did love the Fated Items as well! the Key was super interesting, and the idea of the coins was fantastic as well! I would love to see Stephanie come up with a book of the Fates, full of their stories! 

Also Scarlett and Julian were cute. 

The Bad

This is where I must admit, I had problems with this book.

I feel like the end was just too obvious. Killing the villain seemed to be done far too easily, and wasn't drawn out enough. Scarlett and Tella's mother's death did not affect me emotionally at all. Scarlett's secret identity fell flat. I feel like every time emotions were meant to be drawn for me, I just didn't truly care. 

Books are weird: the best ones make you want to cry, and the ones that fail to do so are less appreciated. 

The Ugly 

Some things made me want to just DNF it. 

I feel like Scarlett's love triangle was nothing if not pointless. It started at the end of Legendary, and ended in the first third of Finale. There never was a contest, and her proposal to make it a game for her heart made me almost DNF the book at about 20 pages. 

I couldn't stand Legend's obvious obsessiveness. He was immortal, and had refused to give that up until Tella just refused to turn immortal for him. (Except for once, when he then, for some reason, outright refused to turn her.) Once she refuses him, he makes what I believe to be an even more obsessive and selfish act by renouncing his immortality to 'have' her anyway. It was supposed to be heroic but I found it desperate. 

Jacks's simple dismissal was sad. I want to know what happened to him, and the other fates. Were they allowed to live peacefully within the world? Were they trapped somewhere again? 

There are many, many more things I could say about this book, good bad and ugly. However I do have assignments to finish as well! 

I'm giving it 2.5/5 stars. 

Have you read Finale? What did you think about it? Let me know! 

Stay bookish! 

Dungeons and Dragons - My character got drawn!

Hey, all! 

I just want to publish a short post today because something made my messy day shine a little brighter - my Dungeons and Dragons character was drawn by a commission artist! Victtoria was doing a free commission giveaway and chose my character to sketch, and I simply adore the outcome! I truly encourage you to check out her website by clicking here. Her art is simply beautiful and truly affordable, even for student budgets! 

Drumroll please... 

Tada! Isn't it gorgeous? I absolutely love how Victtoria captured my description of my character! I know I spoke of her in my last post, but I copied and pasted it here, to create a lovely little character profile. 

Dungeons and Dragons - Why the Hype?

Dungeons and Dragons - the one game known to be played by nerds and geeks everywhere, that outsiders don't totally understand and that makes us players sound like we suddenly come from a different planet. 

Hey, all! 

How's it going, nerds? My name is Caaaaaro! (The day after Pewdiepie's 100M, a bit after his wedding, I'm in a mood to watch all his videos, ok?) And welcome to a new why the Hype! Today, we're discussing Dungeons and Dragons. 

Yes, I play D&D. I have for a long time, and it's something I really love! I have one main character and a bunch of other characters I'm not as invested in (yet), I am the game master for a campaign and have, indeed, suffered from D&D withdrawl after spending a month or so unable to play. 

D&D has not only been super entertaining, but has also helped me make friends! So today, with the help of The Magic Mates, I am going to be telling you why D&D is so, so worth it! 

Just note: The Magic Mates is the group name of the campaign I'm currently in, with my character, Lila. It includes 6 amazing characters and just as amazing players, who have been shouting ideas my way! 

1. It's an amazing creative outlet
D&D is one of the most creative things you can do without having an ounce of artistic talent in your body. You start by creating a character (virtually any character you can think of!), their personality, and allow a Dungeon/Game master to walk your character through a story, where you take actions and make decisions based on their abilities and personality. Want to make an eagle-man? There's a race for that! Want to make someone who is really good at tinkering and inventing stuff on the spot? Awesome character arc! The possibilities are virtually endless, and the worlds you can create are even more so. 

After my main character, I have a half-drow (dark elf) ranger who believes she's the next Sherlock Holmes and is searching for the worlds best Lemonade recipe, and a few back up characters including a Human Cleric who is incredibly nerdy and is easily scared, and a steampunk alchemist who believes she's all that. 


2. It's actually super smart 
D&D actually takes its time to model the probabilities of real life super well! There are 6 statistics that modify your character to be better or worse at certain things - Intelligence, Strength, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution and Charisma. When you make your character, you get points for each of these. You can't be good at everything, but can't be bad at everything either! If you have high points for strength, you are more likely to perform well on a task that involves strength. 

How well you perform all depends on one little piece of equipment - a d20. *Magic angel sounds*. This is a 20 sided dice that you roll to see how well you perform. You add any bonus points to the roll. The higher the score, the better the outcome! What I love about that is that, even in real life, if you are good at something, you can still mess up. Even the best chef can mess up a recipe, or do exceptionally well, or anywhere in between. 

3. It's easy to understand 
This is a game that is both full of rules and has no rules. You can certainly ask your DM wether you can tame a shark and keep it as your pet, if you want. But you must roll a certain combination of dice to see if you do well. Once you know when to roll what, it's easy sailing! And usually your DM should be happy to tell you when to roll what, if you're starting out! 

Plus, the rules essentially boil down to how to make a character and what to do once it levels up! Super simple! 

4. You can do (almost) anything 
You should be able to do anything the dice lets you do. I've had one of my players ask if he could pick up a tree to use it as a bat when a giant was trowing stones at him. The roll failed, but had it passed, it could have happened. 

I once had Lila in a narrow passage, in front of a group. Seeing something shiny in the distance, she just started absolutely sprinting towards it. She dodged another character that tried to catch her, not once but twice, and avoided another tackle. She showed another character the shiny thing in the distance, and they both started running. 

Both the other player and I knew that the shiny thing was one of our enemies. But Lila and Tide? When they see something shiny, they go for it. 




5. You end up with the funniest stories, intense drama and very real emotions
More of these will be written further down, but I have had moments where I was crying as things were happening, I've had moments where we couldn't stop laughing at what was happening, and I've had moments where I was stress-eating bell peppers (paprika) because we all almost died. It's wild. 

6. It is accidentally social 
Most players I know are quite socially anxious or quiet in everyday life, but all that seems to change during a D&D session. It's always fun to create a fun character and laugh with others (or make others laugh! Bards are amazing for that!). Even creating a world for people to explore makes you consider a whole army of side characters and invites you to interact with the people sitting at your table. 


Now, I want to tell you about Lila, a character I absolutely love. Lila is a Halfling Rogue (a hobbit who steals stuff and stabs other stuff). Lila grew up with her brother, Bart, in a small village where her parents had a small farm. Every week, her and her brother were meant to take the produce to the market to sell it. However, the family was in need for more money, so the pair took matters in their own hands. Lila used her sleight of hand to steal, while Bart performed some melodies he had created on his guitar. 

Lila's best friend was Taegan, the youngest and most appreciated prince of the Elves. They had been through thick and thin. Taegan one day showed her how to use daggers to defend herself, after she had witnessed an attacked and felt helpless. Since then, she always had a dagger at her side. After having done a favour for the elves, she was gifted a Moon Dagger - carved from the bones of the Titans that once roamed the world. It is now her most precious possession. (That, and anything shiny). 

However, one day, Taegan disappeared. This happened during a time of unrest in the world, where a dark, corrupted high lord had decided to separate the races to avoid conflict. Naturally, this was a source of conflict in itself. For years, she believed that Taegan was taken by the dark lord, and promised herself that she would fight to find him. 

Since that day, Lila has been on quests to gain enough strength and bravery to find her friend. For how much can a small, quick halfling actually do? 

Recently, Lila has been waking up in different places. Unsure how to control it, she has been joining groups of adventurers on their quests for as long as she stayed around. These places were never twice the same, and she never stayed there long, until she met The Magic Mates and started helping them... look for missing children?! In any case, finding one thing can only make finding another easier, right? 


Do you play D&D? Who's your favorite character you made? Let me know!

Stay Bookish!